With almost 11 months left in the campaign, Interim President Richard Helldobler has announced an ambitious new goal of $12 million.

“I could not think of a better way for Northeastern to celebrate its sesquicentennial than to come together to meet and exceed the expectations for this important and impactful cause,” Helldobler said. “The contributions from the campaign’s generous donors will transform lives for years to come.”

The campaign is already responsible for the establishment of 66 new scholarships, and Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the NEIU Foundation Liesl Downey is eager to build on that momentum.

“The success of this campaign is a credit to the spirit and generosity of the Northeastern community,” Downey said. “Contributing to scholarships is one of the ways donors can make the most direct impact on the lives of our students as we help them avoid the burdens of excessive student debt and allow them to concentrate on what’s important—learning, graduating and starting their careers.”

Transforming Lives publicly launched on April 7, 2017, with a kickoff event attended by presidents past and present, trustees, students, alumni, faculty, staff, NEIU Foundation Board members and close friends of Northeastern.

While the campaign was publicly launched in 2017, its roots trace back to 2014, when then-President Sharon Hahs recognized the University’s 150-year anniversary as an ideal time to launch a campaign. As is typical for university campaigns, the NEIU Foundation quietly raised $6 million toward the campaign before the public kickoff.